Trump warns Iran: 'Better not be' charging Hormuz tolls

President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning Thursday to Iran against introducing any form of toll or transit fee for ships passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Responding to reports that Tehran had started charging oil tankers for passage, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!”

Iran’s New Stance on Strait Management

The US president’s warning came shortly after Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, declared that management of the strait would “certainly enter a new phase” and that Tehran would demand compensation for all war‑related damages. Khamenei stressed that Iran would pursue legal and material accountability for the “criminal aggressors” who attacked the country, and would seek reparations for “the blood of the martyrs and the wounded.”

Talks in Islamabad and a Finger on the Trigger

Iran is preparing for direct negotiations with the United States in Islamabad, expected to begin Saturday under Pakistani mediation. Tehran has stated that the talks aim to finalise details of a potential agreement but do not signal an end to the conflict. Khamenei also warned that Iran remains ready to respond to any renewed aggression. “Our hands are on the trigger,” he said, adding that any mistake by adversaries would be met with a decisive response. For Türkiye, which relies on stable energy flows through the strait, the standoff over passage fees and the broader US‑Iran confrontation carries direct economic and security implications.